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JJ Redick said the Lakers understood exactly what was at stake in Game 2, and his team answered with the kind of edge that produced a 101-94 win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
“I think there’s a natural flow to series,” Redick said. “The team that loses can relax a little bit, the team that wins can relax a little bit, and the team that loses comes out and plays with more desperation.” He added that Los Angeles “matched their sense of desperation” and won “a bunch of little fights.”
That battle showed up in the details. Redick said those small wins can be “your catch position offensively,” “your screens,” “creating separation,” or “boxing out,” and he stressed that “this team requires you to win a bunch of little fights.”
Marcus Smart was central to that effort, scoring 25 points and adding seven assists while helping seal the game with a late steal and a smart setup for LeBron James’ driving dunk. Redick called Smart “a laser all season from the corners” and said, “Smart had a killer game tonight.”
Redick also credited the Lakers’ team defense for limiting Houston’s stars. Kevin Durant finished with 23 points but scored only three in the second half, while Alperen Sengun was held to six first-half points before finishing with 20 and 11 rebounds.
“That job that our team did, he makes shots,” Redick said of Durant. “He’s an unbelievable player. I thought our activity was as good as it could have been.” On Houston’s frontcourt pressure, he added, “You have to guard them with a team defense and you have to be willing to make multiple efforts.”
Redick said the Lakers’ recent stretch has been shaped by resilience, not comfort. “The regular season is not a means of punishment,” he said. “It’s a means of building resiliency.”
He pointed to the experience in the room as part of the team’s response, saying the Lakers have “four guys that have played in the finals” and that Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton have brought valuable big-game perspective.
Redick also praised LeBron James, who posted 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. “He’s a Mac truck,” Redick said. “That’s why we call it the Mac truck lane.”
The Lakers now carry a 2-0 lead to Houston for Game 3 on Friday, with Redick still framing the series around discipline and repetition. “We’re just getting this thing started,” he said.
